


Keeping Up with the Kurniawans

by stardustandfantasies



Series: Expanded Kindergarten AU [2]
Category: Padz and Friends (Webcomic)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Expanded Kindergarten AU, F/M, Family Dynamics, Gen, Genderswap, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2019-06-22 21:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15591483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustandfantasies/pseuds/stardustandfantasies
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles about The Kurniawans in Expanded Kindergarten AU.





	1. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Gabriel invites himself over to Evren's on the day of his parents' birthday and anniversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how this AU—supposed to be Nico/Adriaan—became focused on Eka/Leony and The Kurniawans. I blame Crazy Rich Asians, really. The youngest child and only daughter? Of Chinese descent? Has three older brothers, the third of whom is the black sheep of the family? Mum is from a wealthy and influential family and dad even more so? Has had a deep relationship with her high school sweetheart? Has a close friend named Stephen? Is married way beneath her station to a self-made entrepreneur and has a toddler son with him? The husband is described as tall, good-looking, muscular, not like most Asian men? Am I talking about Astrid Leong or Leony Kurniawan? (Michael and Astrid's son, is 3 y/o. Evren's little brother is born when he's 5. Go figure.)
> 
> Anyway. I don't own PAF or AADC. Evren and Gabriel are around 14 in this chapter. I don't know how teenagers speak in 2028, but you don't either, no?

"Shouldn't you be spending time with your parents?"

Today is Uncle Julian and Aunt Stella's birthdays and wedding anniversary, but Gabriel is sitting on Evren's bed, digging for snacks from his bag.

"We already had lunch together," Gabriel replies nonchalantly. He pulls out a bag of potato chips and opens it. Evren wouldn't have agreed to the sleepover if he didn't bring food. Aunt Leony and Uncle Eka are particular about the amount of unhealthy food that Evren and Eldar (Evren's younger brother, whom they consider too young to join them, being only nine years old) are allowed to take.

"Anyway, they have this weird tradition of watching this super old movie together. Every. Single. Freaking. Year. The movie's not even good."

"What movie is it, and what is so special about it?"

"It's _AADC_."

"What's that?"

"Right, I forgot that The Great Evren is too Great to busy himself with pop culture."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Evren grabs the bag of chips from Gabriel's hand and takes a handful.

" 'Sokay, yours truly is more than qualified to answer your question. I've watched it, like, thousands of times. Basically, _Ada Apa dengan Cinta_ is your typical high school romance movie about this girl called Cinta—the legendary Dian Sastro, by the way—and Rangga, the archetypal cold, brooding guy that makes girls want to fix his apparent brokenness."

"Sounds like the formula for every mediocre romance movie ever made. What's so special about it?"

"It's shot at my parents' high school."

"Gonzaga?"

"Yep. When they were studying there, in 2001."

"Ah."

"They appeared in the movie as random students."

"Really."

"No fake."

"Interesting," Evren muses, wondering if this was how his aunt and uncle got into the entertainment industry.

"It was. At first. Then after watching it for the third time you'll find it boring as fuck. Also, my 'rents will be talking about their high school days and laugh at their inside jokes like I'm not in the room. They can't stop cuddling, and they have this disgusting lovey-dovey expression in their face."

"Gross," Evren says with genuine sympathy. That, he can relate.

"You see why I'm here now? Besides, they're so happy I'm not home. Said something about quality time and shit. The movie should be over right now, I bet they're probably busy shagging."

"Do you have to be so crass?"

"Oh, sorry. Lemme rephrase it: they are probably being excessively amorous with one another right now, the corollary of which is the act of coi—"

Evren throws a pillow at him. "I do _not_ need that information about my uncle and aunt, thank you very much."

Gabriel throws the pillow back at him. "Bro, I walked in on them when I was eight. Nothing beats that."

"...My condolences for your innocence. But please don't tell me the details."

"Wouldn't wish the horror on anyone." Gabriel shudders. "Anyway, don't you think it's a bit of an overkill to have your birthdays and wedding anniversary on the same day?"

"Kind of, but it's a special date for them, right? What are the chances that your spouse is born on the same day as you?"

"Yeah, it's romantic and all, I suppose. But the more I think about it, the more I suspect that Dad chose the date so he won't forget their anniversary." Gabriel glances at the bag—it is almost empty. "They always finish so fast."

"Worldly pleasures are fleeting," Evren comments contemplatively before wolving down what meagre pieces remaining.

"That... sounds like something Uncle Martin would say." Gabriel produced another snack from his bag. "More chips?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

They open another bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Julian and Stella attend Gonz after attending the junior high branches of CC and Sanur respectively. They start senior high in July 2001. _AADC_ was released in February 2002 and filmed in 2001.
> 
> Of course the Kurniawan siblings attend CC and Sanur. Keenan is obviously a true blue Canisian, even in his choice of spouse. The parents want Julian to continue in CC for senior high too; he doesn't. (" _Six_ years of all-boys school? No thanks.") He deliberately fails his entrance test so he can go to Gonz.
> 
> Leony stays in Sanur all the way and meets her ex in the joint CC-Sanur production of _Jesus Christ Superstar_ (which really happened in 2004). Julian's arranging a date with Eka for her was to encourage her to stop pining for him.


	2. Walls to Climb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe only she was nothing.
> 
> —
> 
> Drabble; a study in Leony's insecurities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually something I wrote in 2016. EKAU hadn't existed yet, but this fits the AU, so after a change in gender and pronouns, et voila.
> 
> Leony is 14, Julian 16, Keenan 23, Martin 25.

It's not that their parents did not love them. They did; they really did. But with their careers, there was only so much attention that they could give to each of their child.

It certainly did not help that their two elder brothers were "every Asian father and mother's parenting wet dream", as Julian would put it between the two of them only.

All the luck and good things in their family appeared to have gone to Keenan's genetic lottery that when their turn came they only got the few remaining scraps. Nothing else could explain why two average teenagers had an older brother who was the living definition of the word _overachiever_.

Most children with ridiculously high IQ later struggled in life, but Keenan's wunderkind magic didn't wane with age; rather, it seemed to grow ridiculously stronger. He aced studies and sports with equal ease; he was the school representative for many competitions, the student council president, the class valedictorian. He would also be Father’s successor, once he graduated from the prestigious business programme he was currently studying in.

The only thing Keenan lacked, it seemed, was height, an aspect in which he was on the lower end of average. But this, they speculated, was not so much a personal flaw as another doing of genetic lottery—perhaps if Martin were not so tall, Keenan would get a few additional inches, while they would still get nothing much.

Height was not the only thing their oldest brother seemed to have deprived them of. All the good genes went to Keenan, but all the genes of goodness went to Martin. Even when he was very young he lacked the childish malice that kids usually possessed and instead had a halo of tender serenity and hands that were always ready to help others. People naturally flocked towards his kindness, so it was not surprising that he'd chosen to enter priesthood and guide lost sheep back to God’s evergreen pastures.

Their parents always said that they loved all their children. But they knew. Their oldest brothers’ absence from home didn't make that feeling go away; their shadows remain lurking in the corners, always resurfacing whenever their names were mentioned.

Yet they also knew that it was not anyone’s fault. Martin did not choose to be so good, and neither did Keenan choose to be so good in everything; they just were. Their parents really loved all of them, partial or not, and provided all their needs and ensured that they never want for anything. And despite everything, they loved their parents and older brothers too. They just had to be content with the way things were, be dutiful and grateful, and everything would be all right.

Sometimes, though, if their parents brought up Martin or Keenan during dinner, the two of them would talk about it in either one of their rooms. Julian would do most of the talking—he was going through the typical teenage rebellious phase right now, and even before that he has always been the most talkative—and Leony would listen and gave her input whenever necessary.

She never revealed too much, because there was one thing she kept to herself.

People adored Martin, but his almost saintly presence sometimes made them acutely aware of their lack of goodness. People admired Keenan, but their awe usually came with a pedestal, for his strong personality naturally places him on league quite unreachable for most. But Julian carried himself with a laid-back self-assurance, always so at ease with himself that spending time with him encouraged people to feel comfortable about themselves as well. He could naturally strike a conversation with anyone, from the cleaners in the school to their father's colleagues, from younger kids at church to elderly family members.

She and Julian might have bonded over their parents' unintentional neglect and a resentful fondness for their brothers. But it was not that Julian did not have his own place in the world either. He might not be the nicest or the smartest, he had a way with people, more than any of them did.

Martin was kind. Keenan was outstanding. Julian was charming.

Maybe only she was nothing.


	3. Mind Your Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keenan actually found the similarities between his younger siblings and their sons rather endearing—but he also believed that tough love was the way to raise boys, so there was no way he was going to go easy on his nephews. Even if they're adorable.

In his quest to groom the future heirs of Kurniawan Group, Keenan decided that it's good for Evren and Gabriel to learn about their roots. It was with this goal in mind that he proposed a family vacation to Hong Kong. But Julian was busy working on his upcoming film, Stella had an acting gig going on, and Leony's younger son is too young for overseas trips. And so only the two boys and Uncle Keenan and Auntie Ula were going.

Julian had objected strongly at first (used were several words that Keenan wouldn't repeat out of decency), but Stella talked him into it until he begrudgingly agreed. After all, their schedules didn't permit them to take their son on a holiday themselves, and Auntie Ula—who was Gabriel's favourite as he was hers—promised to look after him and Evren.

Leony was reluctant too; she and Keenan, after all, had not been exactly in good terms. But it's a good learning opportunity for her precocious son, and it's not every day that Evren, who rarely demanded anything, wanted something so badly. Not to mention that it's unfair if Evren had go be stuck at home while his parents were busy with baby Eldar.

As for the boys, they were excited about the trip. They had learnt since a very young age that when their Papa and Mama said no, they would always get a yes from Uncle Keenan and Auntie Ula. But this time, Uncle Keenan's generosity came on the condition that Evren and Gabriel put their Mandarin into use. Or so he had hoped.

Their first night there, after being told they could have anything for dessert, it was Evren who did most of the talking. Gabriel was content with handing the money to the hawker uncles and aunties and charming them with his most adorable smile and a very sweet _xièxie_.

"Iyel, we don't go all the way here just so you can practise saying  _xièxie,_ " Keenan chided.

The boy grinned cheekily in between a mouthful of fishballs. " _Wo bu hui shuo zhongwen, jiujiu_."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." His uncle was not amused. "Evren calls me  _jiùjiu_ , but you call me  _bòbo_. I'm Evren's mama's older brother, so I'm Evren's  _jiùjiu_. But I'm your  _bòbo_  because I'm your Papa's older brother, not your Mama's older brother."

Gabriel pouted. "Okay,  _bòbo."_

"Good. And I'm asking you to speak Mandarin, so it's better to not say _zhōngwèn._ Say  _pǔtōnghuà_  or  _hànyǔ_."

"Huh?"

 _"Zhōngwèn_  is Chinese in general. Mandarin is _pǔtōnghuà_ or  _hànyǔ_. _Pǔtōnghuà_ and  _hànyǔ_ are  _zhōngwèn_ , but Cantonese is also  _zhōngwèn_."

Gabriel's reply was a very emphatic  _"Bu zhi dao."_

"Never mind. Let's focus on correcting your pronunciation first. Repeat after me."

Keenan repeated what his nephew said with the correct pronunciation, made him repeat it, and, because he still got it wrong, repeated the entire process. The seven-year-old, however, was not as patient.

"What's the difference?" Gabriel whined.

"Of course if the pronunciation is different, it's a different word already. Didn't your  _lăoshī_ at school teach you?"

"But it's too hard!"

Keenan made a mental note to tell his brother and sister-in-law to not be too lenient with their son. Then again, Julian had  _loathed_  learning Mandarin as well. He couldn't comprehend the need for the four tones either, and, when his tutor corrected his stroke order, would stubbornly insist that one could write a character in any order and it would still look the same. If Mandarin weren't compulsory in Gabriel's school, he wouldn't have made his son undergo the same experience.

Evren had been watching his uncle and cousin's exchange with an impassive face as usual, eating his cheese egg waffles quietly. Unlike his cousin, he never complained (and, it went without saying, spoke much better Mandarin). He was so preternaturally calm that sometimes it was as if he's six  _years_ , not months, older than Gabriel. Keenan had never seen a more well-behaved child, except probably Leony when she was her son's age.

He actually found the similarities between his younger siblings and their sons rather endearing—but he also believed that tough love was the way to raise boys, so there was no way he was going to go easy on his nephews. Even if they're adorable.

"But tones don't matter in Indonesian or English," Gabriel protested. "You still understand what I meant, right? And they speak English here anyway. Can we just speak English? We speak English at school, so my English is good, Uncle, I promise. Much better than my Mandarin."

"I know, but that's why you have to practise your Mandarin more than your English. You have less opportunity to practise Mandarin in Indonesia compared to English, so you better speak Mandarin here."

"But Uncle, Iyel is right," Evren chimed in. "It would make more sense to speak English. Or, Cantonese, if we had to speak Chinese at all. I read that there are a lot more Cantonese speakers than Mandarin speakers here."

Gabriel did not quite get what his cousin said, but he understood enough to cast a grateful look at Evren and gleefully declare, "See, Uncle, Evren  _ye bu yao shuo zhongwen_!"

"Yes, Evren." Keenan turned to his other nephew, who apparently also took after his mother's penchant for laconic, if infrequent, critical remarks. "But many people know Mandarin. There's no reason you two can't practise your Mandarin here."

Gabriel's concern was more practical: "When are we going to Disneyland?"

"Tomorrow, Iyel, but don't change the topic. Now, boys, it's important that—"

Thankfully, Aunt Ula, who had been amusing herself by listening to them, finally decided that her poor little nephews had had enough. "Give them a break, Keenan," she intervened. "We're supposed to be on a holiday."

Gabriel, expert in stealing hearts since birth, ran to his aunt's side and hugged her waist. "Auntiiie, Uncle is meeean."

"He is," she said, patting the boy's head. "Keenan, I think we're all tired. Shall we head back to the hotel now?"

"Very well," Keenan sighed. "I suppose it'll be a long time until we can move on to learning Cantonese."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel meant to say "I can't speak Chinese, Uncle," and "Evren also doesn't want to speak Chinese." The absence of tone markers implies that he gets the tones all mixed up. I'm not blaming him, the four tones are no joke. Cantonese has about _nine_ , so Keenan's concern is very much valid.
> 
> The Kurniawans are Cantonese. Uschi is Hokkien/Peranakan. Miko and Stella are probably Hokkien. Keenan and Leony can speak Mandarin and understand some Cantonese. Julian knows very rudimentary Mandarin, but can never get the tones correct either. He's much more comfortable speaking Javanese with his maternal cousins.
> 
> Mandarin family terms are complicated, determined by gender, birth order, and maternal/paternal side. Mother's older brother is _jiùjiu_ and father's older brother is _bóbó_. Taking birth orders into consideration, Keenan is _èrbo_  and _èrjiu_  while Martin is _dàbo_ and _dàjiu_ to Gabriel and Evren respectively. Julian, being Evren's youngest maternal uncle, is his _xiǎojiù_ ; Stella is his _jiùmu_. Ursula is Gabriel's _bómǔ_ and Evren's _jiùmu_. Leony and Eka are Gabriel's _xiǎogū_  and _gūfū_.


	4. Brand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The right kind of touch at the right places, she noted with delight, could send him over the edge, begging, all smugness forgone.
> 
> —
> 
> Ten-sentence fic. Keenan/Ursula, pre-relationship. Implied sex.

The first time they met, he was eighteen, seeming impossibly young to her twenty-two years then. Yet, even at that time he had already had an air of gravitas that commanded respect, even from her.

Somehow, in the years of their friendship and rivalry that followed, he found his way, with her and to her bed.

He was earnest, eager to impress her, but by no means unsophisticated—and she found herself shuddering in a giddy frisson of pleasure under his touch. He was smirking above her, gloating at the wanton mess he had reduced her to.

But she was not without knowledge of the world herself. Her experience proved capable to fill the gaps in his. The right kind of touch at the right places, she noted with delight, could send him over the edge, begging, all smugness forgone.

The red-purple mark on his neck should suffice to remind him of his place.


	5. Father's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Uschi? Are we—are we having a _baby_?"
> 
> —
> 
> In which Keenan got a surprise on Father's Day. Keenan/Ursula, drabble.

"Happy Father's Day."

"Huh?"

"I said, a happy Father's Day to you." Ursula hands Keenan a piece of paper and leaves his study as abruptly as she entered.

He glances at what was shoved into his hand—and nearly gets a cardiac arrest.

"Uschi?" he calls, nearly yelling. "Are we—are we having a _baby_?"

No answer.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he takes another look at the paper, a more thorough one this time. It is a Father's Day card, with the words "World's Best Dad" printed in whimsical bright blue font on the cover.

Okay, birth control doesn't have a 100% success rate, but the risk is infinitesimal, so why them? And she's already forty-three—wouldn't the pregnancy be risky for her and the baby? Is that why she didn't say anything? Or maybe she's angry because she doesn't want a baby?

To think about it, he's not sure if he wants one, either. He wanted children, years ago, before they were married. She adamantly refused to entertain the idea, and after many discussions and debates he finally compromised. But now...

Maybe he really should've agreed to having a vasectomy.

He takes a deep breath to calm his racing thoughts, and decides to open the card, come what may.

There are paw prints inside, and only one sentence:

_From Iggy, Xavi, and Gonzi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A headcanon: Keenan, being the low-key extra guy he is, might forego Ula (which she really doesn't mind, especially if it's coming from her adorable little nephews) for the German nickname for Ursula, Uschi.
> 
> Yes, Iggy, Xavi, and Gonzi are their dogs. Yes, Keenan (a true blue product of Jesuit education) names his dogs after Jesuit saints: Ignatius of Loyola (Leony isn't amused), Francis Xavier (who brought Roman Catholicism to Indonesia), and Aloysius Gonzaga (Julian isn't amused). Yes, it's ironic that they're dog people, considering he and Ursula are _Cat_ -holics.


	6. Of Birds and Bees and Babies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel learns about the scientific origin of babies. Julian realises how little one can prepare for parenting. Leony and Eka share one of the many challenges in raising a child prodigy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in around August/September 2018. Evren is four years old; Iyel will be four in November.

"I'm going to be a big brother," Evren says during the drawing lesson. As usual the kindergarten class is bursting with chatters and, occasionally, screams.

Gabriel gasps. "Wow! So there's a baby in your Mama's belly!"

"Not the belly. It's in the uterus, or the womb."

As usual, Gabriel pays little attention to scientific explanations that he is not yet able to fit into his little world. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Mama said we'll only know maybe after Christmas."

"It a long time." At four years old, Gabriel has yet to know how long four months is, but he knows it's still a long time until Christmas; otherwise Mama would start shopping for presents and Papa would get the tree out.

"It is," agrees Evren. He points at the brown crayon at his cousin's right elbow. "Can you give me that?"

Gabriel passes him the crayon. "I hope it's a boy. Then he can play with us."

"I hope it's a girl."

"Why? If it's a girl she can't play with us."

"Of course she can," Evren says without looking up from his drawing. He decides that the tree doesn't have enough branches yet and adds some more. "And if it's a girl there will be the same number of boys and girls at home. Me and Papa, and Mama and the baby."

Gabriel, on the other hand, is too fascinated by the news to focus on his drawing. "But where do babies come from?"

"Mama says you have to get married first. And then when the sperm from the Papa meets the egg from the Mama—"

"Mamas don't have eggs!" Gabriel says, incredulous. "Mamas aren't chickens."

"It's a different kind of egg."

"I want a little brother," Gabriel says wistfully. "Will my Papa and Mama give me one if I ask?"

"Maybe. Can you give me the red crayon?"

* * *

"Baba, Ebweb phed—"

Julian laughs. "Can't hear you with your mouth full, buddy."

"Evren said he's going to be a big brother!"

"Oh. ... Huh?"

Julian's spoon stops midair.

"I said Evren's going to be a big brother."

"Leony is—"

"What happened to Auntie Oni?"

"No, she—" _said she might not have any more kids, what the heck, why didn't she tell him_ "—'s just—going to have a baby?"

Gabriel crossed his arm, pouting. "That's what I was saying, Papa!"

"Right." Julian puts his spoon on his plate. He'll call Leony and Eka later. "Sorry Iyel, I wasn't listening."

"I want a little brother."

He and Stella have talked about how to answer when Gabriel asks that, but Julian is still taken aback.

"Oh, but... Evren's baby sibling will be like your baby sibling too."

"No, the baby will be my cousin. It's Auntie Oni and Uncle Eka's baby, not Papa and Mama's." Gabriel huffed. "And maybe it's a girl, not a boy. I want a baby brother to play with."

"But you can play with a baby sister, too," Julian says, a bit baffled by his son's attitude toward the opposite gender. Must be from his friends. Stella wouldn't like it. "Boys and girls can play together. When I was little I always played with Mama and Auntie Oni."

"But it's still not my sibling."

"If you want a little sibling, you have to ask Mama too."

"Is Mama coming home soon?"

"Nope, but she will be tomorrow. You've got to wait." Stella is out of town on some job. Julian is actually thankful that they'll have time to discuss before their Iyel demands a little sibling.

"Hmmm, okay. Oh, Papa, Evren said babies come from Papa's..." Gabriel's little face contorted in concentration as he tried to remember what his cousin said "...perm and Mama's egg."

"You mean sperm and egg?" Julian wonders how far Evren has gone with his Birds and Bees lesson. That kid is too smart for his own good. "How did Evren know all this?"

"From Auntie Oni, maybe. So it's true? Mama has eggs? Like a chicken?"

"No. Human eggs are... not like chicken eggs." Really, Julian thinks, nothing can prepare you for parenting. At least he doesn't have to explain sex yet. "The human egg is just a name for a part in the mama's belly. When it meets the sperm, the baby is formed. That's why mamas carry babies in their belly."

"But Evren said it's not in the belly. It's in the... you-terrace."

"Uterus," Julian corrects, wondering if Evren will ever cease surprising him. God help Leony if her second child is also gifted. "Yes, Evren is right. The mama's uterus, or the womb. But it's near the belly. The baby stays and grows there until it's time for the mama to give birth."

"It hurts?"

"Well..."

It does, for Stella and him both. Has. Still does. Two miscarriages before they had their son, and one after. All within the first trimester. All he and Stella still grieve over.

Truth be told, they hadn't been sure that Gabriel would survive, either. But he fought against all odds despite being small and sickly. They also fought for him, begging the doctors and nurses to save him. Begging God, too, to keep him alive—they named him after the patron saint of healing, of children and childbirth; the archangel who announced to Mary her miraculous conception of God's son.

"Papa okay? Papa is so not focused today."

"Yes, it hurts. But Mama and Papa don't regret it," Julian says softly. "You're the best thing that has happened in our lives."

Gabriel grins, so bright and happy, no trace of the tiny, fragile baby he once was.

"Of course I'm Mama and Papa's favourite!"

"But if you have a little brother, you have to share everything with him. Toys, ice cream—even Mama and Papa."

The little boy gasps.

"I don't want to share Mama and Papa!"

* * *

"Hello?"

"You're pregnant _again_?!" Julian shouted.

There is a pause before Leony speaks (rather breathily, Julian suspects. He's glad he hadn't opted for a video call).

"We wanted to tell you and Stella in person. But Evren has told Iyel, yes?"

"Yeah. Iyel told me Evren said he's going to be a big brother. Eka is with you, isn't he? Or should I say _inside_  you?"

"Mind your own business."

"What did he say?" Eka asks.

"He wants to talk to you." She puts the call on loudspeaker and lays the phone between her and Eka on the bed.

"Hey, Jul," Eka says.

"Thought you're not planning to spawn more baby geniuses. But 'grats."

Eka clears his throat. "Well, since Evren has his own room and is in school now..."

Leony mock-slaps his arm.

"Five years is a good age gap, though." Julian approves. "Good job."

"Did you just compliment us for having sex?"

Leony gives Eka what he calls her "eat-shit-and-die" glare before asking, in a gentler voice, "Does Stella know already?"

Julian just _knows_ that she must be knitting her brows in concern. "Yeah. She said congratulations. By the way, what the _heck_ did you teach your son? He told Iyel babies come from Papa's sperm and Mama's egg. Good thing he didn't ask how it happens."

"I didn't teach Evren," Leony says (Eka is too busy laughing). "Long story short—he found out on his own."

"Don't tell me he walked in on you making his little sibling."

"Of course not!"

"Hey," Eka protested. "I'm not _that_ stupid to not lock the door."

Leony heaved a long-suffering sigh. "So there's this one time we asked Jie to watch over Evren, about three months ago or so."

Eka adds, "The bastard told Evren we're off to make a little sibling for him."

It's Julian's turn to burst in laughter.

"Not wrong, of course," Eka continues (Leony glares at him again), "but still. It made Evren Google how babies are made..."

"While Jie fell asleep."

"Fucking irresponsible bastard," Julian says fondly.

"That's Cece for you."

"And then when we fetched Evren, he asked if we had the baby."

"What did he say?" Julian asks, because Eka is already cackling again.

"He said, 'I know. It's because Papa and Mama had sex—'"

Julian laughs so hard he nearly falls from the sofa.

"'—and Papa's penis goes inside Mama's vagina so Papa's sperm can meet Mama's egg and form the foetus.'" Leony finishes her recitation without missing a beat.

"What, he really said penis and vagina and foetus?" Now Julian sounds more impressed than amused. "Wait—if I remember correctly, he also told Iyel the baby isn't in the mama's belly, it's in the uterus."

"It's Evren," Eka and Leony say in unison. Julian understands that it is meant to be self-explanatory.

"So what did he say when you told him he's really going to have a baby sibling? 'Oh, Papa and Mama had sex'?"

"Close. He was like, 'So, Papa and Mama made the baby,'" replies Eka.

"Thanks to you guys Iyel demands his Mama and me to make him a baby brother."

He means it to be a joke and immediately regrets saying it. The mood of the call has palpably changed, he could almost hear it.

"Jul—"

"It's fine," Julian interrupts his sister. He doesn't like it when people pity him. It makes him feel like his loss has a time limit and he's pathetic if he keeps mourning beyond that. But you never stop mourning for your loved ones—especially not for the life you created only for losing it so soon.

There is an uncomfortable pause. Realising he has sounded harsher than he intends, Julian adds, "He'd ask it sooner or later, anyway. And I better leave you guys now—I interrupted _something_ , didn't I?"

"Thanks for the understanding."

_"Eka!"_

"Enjoy, then. It's not every day you can do it bareback." Julian ends the call, still chuckling.

"Well," Eka says. "Shall we pick up where we left?"


	7. Avuncular

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **avuncular** /əˈvʌŋkjʊlə/ _adj._  
>  1\. Kind and friendly towards a younger or less experienced person.  
> 2\. Relating to the relationship between men and the children of their siblings.
> 
> Origin: Mid 19th century; from Latin avunculus ‘maternal uncle’, diminutive of avus ‘grandfather’.
> 
> .
> 
> In which Evren meets his Uncle Keenan, who isn't like his other uncles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evren is 2 y/o here.

On the way to his uncle and aunt's place, Mama tells him he has to be good, which means he must not talk to Uncle Keenan when not asked to, or ask too many questions, or talk about Papa to him, or do this and that.

Evren fidgets in his seat. He doesn't like being told too many no's, and he thinks there's no such thing as asking too many questions. And he doesn't like the clothes Mama has dressed him: light blue shirt, dark blue trousers. She calls them his "nice" clothes, but they feel stuffy and he doesn't understand what's so "nice" about them. T-shirts and shorts are nice. This isn't.

Uncle Keenan doesn't sound nice, either. Evren tells Mama that.

"He's not a bad person," Mama responds to his protest. She's also wearing her nice clothes—a blue dress that matches his outfit. She looks very pretty and she'll look prettier if she smiles, but her lips are closed tightly a thin line. Evren wonders why—Mama always smiles when Uncle Jie or Uncle Ijul is around, or when she talks about Uncle Martin.

"Then why I cannot ask?"

"Uncle Keenan is—"

"Annoying?"

"Very disciplined," she corrects, glancing at him. (Evren thinks it still counts as "annoying".) "You haven't met Uncle Keenan, how can you know if you like him or not?"

"You also don't look like you want to meet Uncle Keenan, Mama."

"Don't say that, dear. He's family."

Evren frowns. It doesn't answer his question. He doesn't like it when adults don't answer his questions directly. Papa does it a lot, because most of the time he doesn't know how to answer Evren's questions. But Mama doesn't usually do it. Even if Mama doesn't know how to answer, they always go to the Internet to find it out together.

He wants to ask why, but even at his age he has learnt that there are questions he must not ask, so he doesn't.

"Auntie Ula is nice, Mama?"

"She's very lovely."

Nicer than Uncle Keenan, then. "If I'm good, will Auntie and Uncle let me play with their puppy?"

Mama said Auntie Ula and Uncle Keenan have a puppy, a dog breed called Alaskan malamute. He and Mama looked up pictures of them on the Internet—they looked like balls of fur. Since he has a cute puppy, then maybe Uncle Keenan won't be so bad. Maybe he's just annoying, like Papa can be. But even Papa isn't annoying all the time.

"Maybe."

"Then I'll be good."

"Thank you, dear."

* * *

Mama would hug Uncle Julian and Uncle Jie when she meets them, but she doesn't hug Uncle Keenan; they shake hands.

"Brother," Mama says.

"How are you, Leony?" Uncle smiles briefly, then looks at Evren. "And this must be Evren."

Evren would've hugged him if he were Uncle Jie or Uncle Ijul, but this is Uncle Keenan, so he held out his hand instead. "Hello, Uncle Keenan."

Mama and Auntie hug and kiss on the cheek. Auntie Ula has long hair, like Mama and Auntie Stella, and is also very pretty.

"Hello, Evren." She kneels. "You're so big now. Can Auntie have a hug?"

"We have something for you, Auntie," Evren says as he hugs her. "Mama said it's your favourite flower."

"She's right. These orchids are beautiful, Leony," she says as she receives the yellow bouquet from her. "Thank you."

"Where's your husband?" asks Uncle to Mama.

" _Eka_ is on a business trip," answers Mama. "They're opening a new branch in Bandung."

"I see. He seems to be doing very well."

"Well, isn't that great," Auntie Ula says. "Now why don't we eat? It must be past Evren's dinnertime already. Aren't you hungry, dear?"

"A bit, Auntie."

"Let's find a vase for these flowers and then eat."

Evren nods and takes her hand, the one that isn't holding the flowers, and follows her to the dining room.

Mama never said he couldn't ask Auntie Ula, so Evren asks her a about a lot of questions. She doesn't seem to be bothered by his, questions so it means he can keep asking.  But Uncle Keenan isn't as bad as Evren thought he would be. In fact, he asks Evren questions: his age (two years and a half), what he likes to do (reading), and how he knew which spoon is used for what (Mama taught him).

Uncle Keenan looks at him the way Mama would when he asks questions that they have to Google the answer for.

"You're very smart, Evren," he says.

"Mama says I'm advanced," Evren proudly declares.

"She's right." Uncle Keenan smiles and turns to Mama. "He's amazing, Leony."

He keeps asking Evren questions during dinner. Evren is too engaged by him to notice his mother's grip on her cutlery tighten.

* * *

"Can I see Uncle and Auntie's puppy?" Evren asks after dinner

"Evren," Mama says, but Uncle Keenan smiles.

"It's all right, Leony." He lifts Evren. "Okay, Evren, let's meet Iggy."

They keep Iggy in a big room with lots of dog toys and even a dog bed. Uncle says they usually let him roam the house and he's only kept inside because he hasn't met Evren and Mama yet. The puppy yaps at Evren.

"He won't bite," Uncle Keenan assures, seeing Evren's hesitation. "It's okay, Evren. You can pet his fur."

Iggy sniffs at Evren curiously as he touches the soft fur.

"Oh, he likes you," Auntie says. "Pet him and say 'Good boy, Iggy'."

Iggy is really a good boy. He doesn't bite or bark—he just lets Evren touch him.

"Good boy, Iggy," Evren compliments him.

"So cute," Mama says as she pets the puppy. "Isn't he, Evren?"

"He likes Mama too!" Evren giggles. Auntie and Uncle laugh, too. "Auntie, Iggy is an Alaskan malamute, right?"

"Correct. How do you know that?"

"Mama and me read about dog breeds yesterday from Mama and Uncle Ijul's old book."

"The hardcover book?" Uncle Keenan asks. "I remember it—your Mama and Uncle Julian liked it very much when they're little. Didn't you, Leony?"

"Yes, that one," Mama replies. The book is big, written in English and full of pictures of all kinds of dogs. It's old, older than Evren, almost as old as Mama, even; Opa bought it for her and Uncle Julian when they were little.

"Alaska is in America, right, Uncle? Mama said when I'm bigger we'll go there. But not now. Mama said I'm still too little and the trip takes too long."

"I'm big, and it's too long for me too," Uncle Keenan says, smiling. Evren thinks he actually looks a bit like Uncle Julian when he smiles. "The trip takes more than a day."

"Mama said Uncle and Auntie lived in America." Evren yawned.

"Yes," Mama says. "But I think it's someone's bedtime already."

* * *

"Mama, let's read this."

"Are you sure you're not sleepy?" Mama takes the book from his hand. Uncle and Auntie gave it to him before they left.

"I already slept in the car," Evren insists, but he yawns.

"We'll read it tomorrow, okay?" Mama puts the book on the nightstand next to their bed. The big bed is a bit empty now that Papa isn't here. He usually takes up the most space, because he's very tall.

"I like Auntie Ula and Uncle Keenan," Evren says as Mama tucks him.

She smiles. "They like you too."

"Auntie Ula is very pretty."

"She is."

"But Mama is still prettier."

"Really?" Mama chuckles. "Thank you, dear."

"But you don't like Uncle Keenan? Because Uncle Keenan doesn't like Papa?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You looked unhappy, Mama. And you said I cannot talk about Uncle Keenan to Papa."

"I _do_ like Uncle Keenan," Mama says slowly. "He's my big brother. But Papa and Uncle Keenan... don't agree about many things."

"Does Auntie Ula like Papa?"

"Yes. And Opa and Oma, Uncle Julian and Auntie Stella, and Uncle Martin too—everyone likes Papa."

"Did Papa do something Uncle Keenan doesn't like?" Evren wonders. Papa is noisy and they don't agree about many things. Like the number of hugs he is allowed to give Evren—Papa thinks the more the better; Evren thinks the opposite. Sometimes he doesn't like Papa because of that, but not all the time.

"No." Mama smiles again, but this smile looks a bit sad. "Papa has never done anything wrong."

"So wh—" he yawns again "—why?"

"The answer has to wait until tomorrow." Mama kisses his forehead. "Now is time to sleep."

* * *

Mama doesn't explain why the next day.

She never does, but Evren never asks her either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ursula's name 黄秀兰 literally means "elegant yellow orchids", hence the flowers :-)
> 
> I've for a long time had this idea of Leony trying to make Keenan approve of Evren. Which is why she visits her brother while Eka is out of town. If he can't accept her husband, at least he accepts her son. And maybe if he likes Evren he'll soften toward Eka. Sad. And ironic that Keenan disapproves of Eka because he doesn't want a bad lot tainting the purity of the Kurniawan lineage—and his heir turns out to be Eka's son.


	8. A Is for Average, F Is for Find a New Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriek gets Evren to help him study for exams, to little success. Drabble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Evren are around 14-15 here, so 9th grade, which means national examinations coming soon. Pure indulgence because I love these babies.

"I'm so exhausted."

Gabriel's dramatic declaration earned him a dirty look from his cousin.

"It's only 30 minutes since we started studying."

"Yessir." Gabriel huffed. Evren is too alike Auntie Oni sometimes. She's his father's favourite sibling and almost like his own mother, but she's so serious all the time.

Evren shook his head at his cousin. Gabriel wasn't stupid, his attention span was just appallingly short. But it's not like he's going to need the grades. Already he's a model/actor/singer/Internet celebrity/whatever—Evren couldn't keep track of the many hats he wore. Gabriel was pretty much born for the show industry, endowed with talents and connections from his parents.

And he obviously had the looks. Though he and Evren both shared the trademarks of the Kurniawan bloodline—defined jawlines, deep-set eyes, strong eyebrows—his mother (still looking beautiful and youthful even at the age of forty-two) passed him her dainty features: almond-shaped eyes, full lips, long lashes. A combination that reminded Evren of the androgynous angels of the Renaissance.

He possessed the same grace, too—outwardly, at least. They're both already half a head taller than other boys their age. Evren felt too big and bulky sometimes, an angular and unsightly specimen of the male _Homo sapiens_. But Gabriel, having inherited his mother's slender, elegant figure, never seemed rigid or awkward. His gait had a certain assured grace—probably learnt as a model-actor-whatever—as if he was dancing through life.

That metaphor wasn't too far from truth. Evren wondered how much had got into Gabriel's (in all fairness, indeed pretty) head. He was still the same Iyel, the cousin who never shut up nor stop pestering him. Yet, he was also Gabriel "Gabe" Alexander, model-and-actor-and-singer-and-Internet-celebrity-and-whatnot, who has hundreds of thousands of followers (subscribers? whatever) on his social media. And while the cut-throat industry was so much more than about looking glamorous and beautiful, Gabriel had lucked out so much in terms of genetic lottery that he had never really struggled. Certainly he's entitled to some vanity, but fame could easily turn ugly and he was never the best at self-control.

Evren worried about his cousin, sometimes.

"Hang in there, Iyel," he said kindly, because he could not think of anything else to say. Only their family used that childhood pet name. "If it's any comfort, you just have to pass."

"With barely decent grades and risk bringing dishonour to our family?" Gabriel gasped, looking up from the mathematics problem he's working on. (Evren noticed that he got one middle step wrong, which made the rest of his workings and his answer wrong.) "You know better than I do that Asian without A's is just sin."

"Then study hard and don't complain. Your answer's wrong, by the way."

"Oh shit. Where did I get it wrong?"


End file.
